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Please take responsibility for your own health and decide what is relevant to you and your own health. 

Chinese Ginger Tea

I found a recipe link here https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-ginger-tea-dates/, and copied below:

For covid, it’s also worth putting good quality cinnamon powder in the ginger tea as well, and I won’t be fuss about the brown sugar, I normally buy the dark brown sugar from the supermarket to make the ginger tea, the darker the brown sugar, the better, and more ginger, the better the tea is.

I’ve watched plenty of Chinese TV dramas to know that this Chinese Ginger Tea with Dates (姜茶 – jiang cha or 姜汤 – jiang tang in Chinese), is a much relied-upon home remedy for a cold!

Every time a main character gets caught in the rain without any rain gear, a parent or love interest promptly prepares some ginger tea and “demands” that he or she drink it right away to chase away the chill (the concept of 寒 – han in traditional Chinese medicine). Next scene? All sunshine and happiness!

Meanwhile, if that character were alone, lo and behold, they’d be sick in bed with a fever, only to have their love interest come to the rescue (PROBABLY with some ginger tea).

 

Contribution by B - CFS member.

Ginger Tea for Colds & Chills: A Chinese Home Remedy

All kidding aside, Chinese ginger tea is a home remedy that has been passed down through countless generations.

It is thought to improve blood circulation, expel dampness, and promote healthy Qi, and it’s certainly stood the test of time.

We all know to drink something hot when we feel a cold coming on. A drink that’s temperature hot is good for warming up, but this ginger tea with red dates (aka Chinese jujube or Chinese dates) has added benefits:

In addition to ginger’s warming abilities, red dates are full of Vitamin C. I’ve made them optional in the recipe, however, as they can sometimes be hard to find, and this tea is still beneficial without them!

Another key ingredient, Chinese brown or black sugar, is different than the light/dark brown sugar you buy from your local supermarket. This sugar is cooked to a powder form instead of granulated. While it IS a sugary product, it’s considered by many Chinese to be a health food! If you can’t find it, just substitute some healthy honey.

 

A NOTE ON MODERATION

After drinking this ginger tea, I can slowly feel my body “heating” up––you might even sweat a tiny bit! Don’t be alarmed, all is well.

But just as a friendly reminder from me, your token Chinese mom, Chinese ginger tea is a special drink, not an everyday drink!

Treat it like a home remedy that is. Don’t overdo it. One to two cups is plenty for any situation.

 

A FINAL TIP ABOUT FREEZING GINGER!

Ginger freezes very well, and I always keep some in my freezer so it’s available for cooking or if I need a piping hot cup of ginger tea at a moment’s notice.

Simply slice the ginger into rounds, transfer it to a freezer bag, press all the air out of the bag, seal, and transfer to the freezer.

Slicing the ginger before freezing it makes it much easier to use right away. You just pick out a few slices (or snap them apart if they’ve stuck together), and add them straight to a wok, chop or mince them, etc.

 

Contribution by B - CFS member.

Chinese Ginger Tea with Red Dates: The Recipe

This recipe makes 1 serving!
Add your water to a small pot along with the ginger and dates. Cover and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the Chinese brown sugar to taste (if using honey, just skip this step––you’ll wait to add the honey later). Cover and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Strain the tea into a mug.

Let the tea cool to drinkable temperature, but the goal is to drink it while it’s still hot!

If using honey instead of Chinese brown sugar, add it right before you’re ready to drink it. Don’t boil the honey, because cooking honey will eliminate many of its health benefits!

 

Contribution  by B - CFS member.

How to Make Easy Gongee at Home

 

1. Just briefly rinse your rice
You want the starch in the rice as much as you can to thicken up the porridge nicely. This will give the congee a smooth and “creamy” consistency. Rinsing the rice is mainly just to get rid of impurity (if any)

2. Choose the rice : liquid ratio you like 

(as I mentioned above) and bring the liquid to a boil and add the rice in

3. Bring it back to a boil

4. Stir it every now and then to prevent the rice from catching at the bottom of the pot

5. It will continue to get thicker as the starch releases from the rice grains

6. Once you are happy with the consistency, if you want to add a protein like ground pork, fish, chicken, etc, add it at this point and cook until the meat is cooked through. Season with salt to your taste if you want

DO I NEED TO SOAK THE RICE?

 

FOR WHITE RICE: I’ve tried soaking and not soaking before and I don’t really find much difference in terms of texture and cooking time. Well, maybe a little faster if you soak the rice, but I don’t feel like it’s significant enough

FOR BROWN RICE: You definitely need to soak for at least 1-2 hours. This will help to shorten the cooking time. I recommend pulsing the rice in a blender or food processor to break up the grain a little bit. This helps to make the porridge “gel” a bit better

FROZEN RICE CONGEE
Another method that my mom taught me a while ago is cooking congee using frozen rice. The theory behind this is that when you freeze the rice and then you cooked it in hot boiling water, it will break down the rice grain faster and the starch from the broken grains will make the porridge silky and smooth. It also helps to shorten the cooking time a bit.

 

Frozen Rice Congee

TOP TIPS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. Don’t over rinse the rice
The starch in the rice grains gives that smooth silky consistency. Do not over rinse it. If you get the rice that has been pre-washed, then you don’t even need to rinse the rice

2. Stir every now and then
If you cook on the stove, you need to stir the porridge every now and then to prevent the rice catching at the bottom of the pot and burn. The starch get burn quickly as it thickens

3. Use stock for extra depth of flavour
It does make a huge difference in terms of flavour when you use just plain water versus stock like chicken stock or other type of stocks

4. The rice : liquid ratio is just a guide
This also really depends on the rice you use, your rice cooker if you cook the congee with rice cooker. If it’s too thick, you can always thin it out by adding 1/2 cup or more of liquid or if it’s too thin, you can cook it longer to evaporate more liquid

 

VARIATIONS

Rice congee can also be made into a complete meal instead of just a plain congee. Here are some ideas:

 

1. PROTEIN
Add them after the congee has thickened. The raw protein will cook quickly
RAW PROTEIN: ground pork, ground turkey, fish slices, small boneless chicken pieces
COOKED PROTEIN: leftover shredded rotisserie chicken meat, century eggs, cooked salted duck/chicken eggs
MEATLESS PROTEIN: tempeh cubes, firm tofu cubes

2. VEGGIES
Add these frozen veggies after the porridge has thickened
FROZEN VEGETABLES (NO THAWING NECESSARY): edamame, frozen mixed vegetables, frozen corn, etc
FRESH VEGETABLES: diced carrots, sweet potato pieces. These need to be added the same time you
start cooking the congee as they need time to cook until softened

 

HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT LEFTOVER CONGEE

Store: If you cook a big pot and have leftover, you can keep it in the refrigerator but try to finish it within 5 days.

Reheat: Simply reheat on the stove and you will need to add more water or stock to thin it out. The longer the congee sits, the thicker it gets. You can also reheat in the microwave by adding more liquid to thin out the porridge

 

How to Make Basic Asian Rice Porridge (Congee)

PREP TIME 5 MINS
COOK TIME 30 MINS
TOTAL TIME 35 MINS
SERVINGS 6 SERVINGS

 

INGREDIENTS

• 200 gr Jasmine rice
• Water or stock see rice to liquid ratio below
• Salt to taste

 

INSTRUCTIONS

 

Rice to Liquid ratio:

• For very thick porridge: Rice to liquid ratio is 1:7
• For thick porridge: Rice to liquid ratio is 1:8
• For medium-thick porridge: Rice to liquid ratio is 1:9 (I like to use this ratio)
• For medium-thin congee: Rice to liquid ratio is 1:10

 

Prepare the rice:

• Just briefly rinse the rice for any impurities. You may not even need to do so because some brands have prewashed the rice Place the rice and water in a medium-large pot. 

 

Cooking congee on the stove:

• Bring the water/stock to a boil and then lower the heat and add the rice. Bring it back to a boil and then lower the heat to medium to let it gently simmer for about 25-30 minutes, stirring every now and then to prevent the rice catching at the bottom of the pot. The rice grains will slowly release more starch and get smoother and creamier starting at about 20 minutes or so
• If you are adding meat like chicken, beef, pork,  fish, add only after the porridge has thickened. Add them in at this point and stir until they are cooked through. Season with salt to your taste and serve immediately while the porridge is hot
• The longer the porridge sits, the thicker it will get. You can always thin it out by adding more water or stock

 

Cooking congee with Instant Pot Pressure Cooker:

• Place 1 cup of rice with the amount of water ratio you choose to use. 9 cups is a good one to start if it's your first time making it in instant pot. Less liquid is lost when you cook in Instant pot, so 9 cups of liquid is almost equivalent to 10 cups of liquid cooking on the stove
• Press pressure cook and set to high pressure. Set timer to 30 minutes. When it's done cooking, release pressure naturally, which may take about 10-15 minutes
• If the porridge is too thick, you can always think it out by adding more water or stock. If you want to add protein like meat or fish, turn on the saute mode and bring it to a boil and then add in the meat and cook until they are cooked through. Season with salt to your taste

 

Cooking congee with rice cooker:

• Add rice and liquid to the rice cooker. I recommend starting with 9 cups of liquid. This sometimes also depends on your rice cooker, so you may need to experiment. Close the lid and if your rice cooker has porridge setting, use that. If not just press cook and cook for one cycle. When it's done, open up and see if it has thickened to the consistency you like. If it's still watery, cook for another cycle. If it's too thick, you can always add more liquid and stir. It should thin out to the consistency you prefer. Season with salt to your taste

 

Frozen rice congee:

• Place 1 cup of briefly washed rice or whatever quantity you want in a freezer-friendly bag and let it freeze for at least 6 hours (12 hours if you have the time). You can freeze several bags for future use too. Frozen rice be kept in the fridge for up to 3 months
• When ready to cook, place water or stock in a medium-large pot and with the amount of water ratio you like. I use 9 cups and bring to a boil and then add the frozen rice grains (without thawing). Bring it back to a boil and lower the heat to low-medium. let it simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat until thickened to the consistency you like. Stir every now and then to prevent the rice from catching at the bottom and burn
• If you are adding meat like chicken, beef, pork, fish, add only after the porridge has thickened. Add them in at this point and stir until they are cooked through. Season with salt to your taste and serve immediately while the porridge is hot

 

NOTES
1. The longer the porridge sit, the thicker it will get. If you have leftover and need to reheat it, just add about 1/2 to 1 cup of water and it will "loosen" the porridge back to the consistency you like

 

Contribution by B - CFS member.